Hunting for Plimpies
by duskglow
Summary: How did Luna learn about all of those animals? Explores Luna's grief at the death of her mother.


Disclaimer: The nargles tell me I'm not JK Rowling, and money is just too full of wrackspurts.

It was a beautiful day. The sky was a deep blue, puffy cumulus clouds were skittering across the sky, and it was a perfect 25 degrees Centigrade. Nine year old Luna Lovegood was happily walking down the path outside of her oddly-shaped home, heading for the little lake that was on the grounds. She loved going to the stream – her daddy taught her that plimpies lived there, and she loved catching plimpies. Plimpies were the greatest, and if she could catch plimpies, then her mother would make a soup out of them and they'd have a delicious dinner!

She hummed a little song about catching plimpies that her father had taught her. It was a jaunty little tune, and she grabbed a stick and started about the serious business of catching plimpies.

The sound of a major explosion coming from her home struck terror into her heart, and she ran back to her home. It was deathly quiet, and the air smelled of potions. She climbed up towards the second floor, her heart beating faster, saying, quietly, "Mummy? Mummy?" There was no answer.

Finally she approached her mother's potions lab, and saw that the door was broken off its hinges. Terror clutching at her heart, she ran into the lab, and saw her mother on the ground. She was not breathing.

"Mummy! Mummy!", she screamed. "Mummy, wake up! Mummy! Please mummy, wake up!" She poked and prodded at her mother, but her mother was dead. Finally after several minutes, her increasingly frantic entreaties turned into wailing, and for the next hour she screamed over her mother's dead body.

When her father got home, he was humming a jaunty tune about snorkacks. Luna ran down the stairs to her father, screaming inconsolately. "Mummy won't wake up! Daddy, daddy, mummy won't wake up! Daddy!" Her entreaties turned into sobs, and she ran up the stairs. Her father ran up after her, and when he saw his wife laying dead on the floor, he fell down on the ground, weeping.

After the DMLE had come by and retrieved the body, Xeonphilus Lovegood sat in their living room. Xeno had been drinking, bottles of firewhiskey scattered along the floor, he in a drunken stupor. Luna had long ago gone to bed, and holding her stuffed plimpy, was staring at the wall. Every now and then she would hiccup, but no more tears came – they were all gone. Her mother was dead.

Xeno finally came staggering up the stairs, and opened the door to his daughter's room. He sat down on the bed next to her. He reeked. He was holding a half empty bottle of firewhiskey.

"Princess", he slurred, "Are you alright?"

She just whimpered and cuddled her stuffed plimpy tighter. "Go away, daddy."

"Answer me, Princess. Answer me." He roughly shook her. "ANSWER ME!"

He threw the firewhiskey at the wall and started sobbing. "She's gone, princess... she's gone. She's gone. I can't live without her. I don't know how."

He got up with some effort and staggered towards his bed, and he passed out.

Eventually she went to sleep, dreaming about her mother. She knew her life would never be the same.

The next morning she got up and dragged herself out of bed. Her father was sitting at the kitchen table, bleary-eyed and holding his head. She got some juice and found some cereal. She poured her father a bowl, and one for herself. Her father ate a couple of bites, and then went back to bed.

Luna walked out to the stream, numb. She remembered how nice it was yesterday, and even though the weather was just as good, nothing looked right anymore. It was... yellow. Too yellow. She walked over to the stream that she was going to catch plimpies in, and sat down next to it.

"Why did you have to die, mummy? Why?"

No one answered. Tears threatened to fall, but she knew she had to be strong for her father. There was nothing left for him but her. She remembered how enamored her father was of magical creatures of all kinds. She squared her shoulders, and ran back into the house.

"Daddy! Daddy! I found a blibbering humdinger!"

He came staggering out down the stairs. "You did? Where?"

"Over by the stream! Come quickly, daddy!"

He came out with her, squinting at the light. "I don't see anything."

"Right there!", she said, pointing at nothing. "Can't you see it?"

Xeno sat down by the stream and patted the ground next to him. She sat down too, smoothing her dress as she sat. He still reeked, but it was better.

"I know you don't see one, pumpkin."

"But I do, daddy! But I do!"

He rumpled her hair.

"I miss her already, Luna. I loved her. I know she loved me. And I know she loved you too."

"I know, daddy.. but... she's gone. Mummy's gone!" She leaned up against her daddy and wept. He sat there with her and rubbed her back, feeling much the same way himself.

Later that evening, Luna went to sleep. She found herself in a wide pasture, with lots of strange animals wandering around. There were large blobs, bright like the sun, little critters with crumply horns, little bugs that nested in your hair when you weren't looking. A woman approached from the distance, and when she saw Luna, she started running.

"Luna!"

"Mummy?"

"Oh Luna! Luna! Come here!", she said, and scooped her daughter up. "I'm so sorry I had to leave!"

Luna cried into her mother's arms. "Are you real?"

"I'm as real as you are, Luna, but I can only visit you here. Oh Luna, I miss you already!"

She sat down and patted the ground next to her. Luna snuggled close. "Daddy is drinking a lot."

Selena looked at Luna with sadness in her eyes. "Tell him I love him, Luna. Tell him I will always be there with him. And tell him to move on when he's ready. Please, can you remember that?"

Luna nodded.

"I have a gift for you, Luna."

Luna looked up at at her mother curiously.

"See all of these animals? They are real, but normal witches and wizards cannot see them. You're being granted the Sight so you can see them, and that comes with some other abilities as well."

"Why, mummy?"

"Because I can and I love you." She tousled her daughter's hair. "I'll come and visit, Luna. Sleep well."

"I love you mummy", she said, as her mother faded away. The last thing she saw was her mother's smile.

Luna's dreams turned normal. When she woke up, she looked outside, and she saw all sorts of little animals running around. She got up and padded to her father, and saw lots of little bugs swarming around his head. She decided they were named wrackspurts. Maybe that meant he was sad.

"Daddy?"

He opened his eyes blearily.

"Yes Pumpkin?"

"Mommy came to see me in my dream. She told me to tell you she loves you and she misses you and she'll always be there and to move on when you're ready."

Tears formed in his eyes. "If you see her again, tell her I miss her terribly."

Luna nodded. "I'm going outside. The nargles are telling me there's lots of plimpies in the stream right now."

Xeno nodded. It was a strange thing for her to say, but it felt right, somehow. They'd get through this together. Everything would be alright.


End file.
